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Cadillac’s Autonomous Self-Driving System: Super Cruise

Cadillac’s self-driving system, called Super Cruise, features radar, vehicle cameras, a variety of sensors, and GPS data to handle braking and steering on highways.

It wasn’t too long ago that self-driving cars seemed a thing of the future, but now several major automakers are gearing up to have self driving cars as early as 2020. Most notably, Google has been experimenting with their self-driving Toyota Prius, while other leading manufacturers such as Ford and GM are also designing their own autonomous systems.

While it’s still quite a weird concept, self-driving automobiles provide a great deal of benefits. One major advantage is a great deal of improved safety. Imagine how many car accidents would be avoided if 6-10 set of eyes were keeping an eye out for danger while you drive. That’s essentially what’s happening with electronic safety systems use of vehicle cameras. Drivers will also experience additional benefits such as improved gas mileage and improved flow of highway traffic.

The American luxury automaker, Cadillac, says that their autonomous technology is called super cruise and most of the technology needed for it’s development can already be found on certain driver assistance packages.

Similar to other automaker’s design, super cruise will collect data from several different sensors, vehicle cameras, and GPS data along with radar object-detection systems that can see the lines of the road and keep the vehicles squarely in the lane. Super cruise’s major impact will be on highway driving, whereas city driving will remain in the hands of the driver.

“Super Cruise has the potential to improve driver performance and enjoyment,” said the VP of Cadillac Marketing, Don Butler. “Our goal with advanced technologies, like this and our CUE system, is to lead in delivering an intuitive user experience.”

The major hurdle of Cadillac (and other automakers) is the automatic lane centering technology. Currently this technology is very limited, enabled only to work with capable radar visibility and when the vehicle’s cameras can detect lane markets on each side of the car. Additionally, current autonomous systems such as super cruise will be limited during certain weather conditions.

“The primary goal of GM’s autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle development is safety,” Capp said. “In the coming years, autonomous driving systems paired with advanced safety systems could help eliminate the crash altogether by interceding on behalf of drivers before they’re even aware of a hazardous situation. More than ever, consumers will be able to trust their car to do the right thing.”